Touring-map carrier for automobiles.



H. DALITZ.

TOURING MAP CARRIER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.17, 1908.

938,828. Patented Now r. 2, 1909.

2 BHEBTBSHEET 1:

H. DALITZ. TOURING MAP CARRIER FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILEDN0V.17,41908.

938,828. Patented N0v.2, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

AT'rMsT INYENTOI? v g 4 I BYZMWATTYS.

a run 0 and the map is moved u HARRY DALITZ, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

rename-Mar oaanmn FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Tooll whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY DALITZ, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Touring-Map Carriers forAutomobiles, and do declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact descrip-. tion of the invention, which will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use. the same.

My invention relates to a touring map carrier for automobiles, and theinvention consists in a carrier adapted in its preferred arrangement torest over or above the steering wheel, but it may be placed in any otheravailable position for use personally by the chaufi'eur or by anotherperson in the car, all substantially as shown and described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the'accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of theinvention and a sectional elevation of a steering wheelover which thesame is mounted. Figs. 2 and 3 are side elevations of the upper andlower parts or members of the casing in which the map is confined andoperated, and Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the devicewith all the parts in workin position. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the compete device showing the touring map therein, and Fig. 6 is a crosssection of the device on a line corresponding to m-w, Fi 1. v

The views of the inventlon as thus shown and the description thereofclearly indicate the object and character of the invention, the sameconstituting a device adapted to provide automobile tourists with theessential details of a route consecutively as they are met in travel andso that the tourist may have all needed information with him on the carand in the order in which it may be needed progressively from end toend. Pointers a at the ed e of the casing assist in findin eachsuccessive item as the route is spondingly. By these means the river isconstantly assured as to where he is and what to look for or expect justahead. 7

. I am of course aware that in any broad senseit is not now new to havea touring map or guide for automobile uses in which the particularsabout a route are setdown in their order, but the present invention hasto do more especially with the means to carry and Specification ofLetters Patent. I

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application filed November 17, 1908. Serial No. 463,120.

operate the map than with the map itself as an article.

Hence the invention consists essentially in the mechanical device shownin the several views, or its equivalent, and comprises a casingconsisting of two parts, a bottom or body. part B andan upper or coverpart C, adapted to be engagedupon. or over said body and to close thesame about its sides and ends relatively as shown so as to exclude rainor dust. The said body B is shown as provided with semi-cylindrical ortrough shaped depressions 2 transversely at its ends to receive therespective spools R and R which carry the map or guide sheet G, and uponwhich the said map or sheet is secured at its ends and adapted towind'in either direction as may be required. The

saidlnap is made of a length corresponding to the distance to hetraveled and the items to be noted, and runs over sustaining rollers Dat the ends of the casing engaged in slots 03 and d. The said spools Rand R are mounted upon spindles 4, which are operatively engaged withthe-rolls. and rest at their ends in the open slots 5 and 6 in thecasing. Each spindle is provided with a milled or knurled head 7 adaptedto be engaged by the fingers to rotate the spools and carry the mapforward, and a glass or other transparent window E is set into cover Cto disclose the map beneath the same. The said parts B and C of thecasing are temporarily astened together in working position by a springkeeper K pivoted to rotate horizontally on the bottom and middle ofbodyB- and having its extremities adapted to engage and look in thesubstantially hook shaped horizontal projections 10 depending from themiddle and side of the cover C. These projections 10 extend in oppositedirections on the two sides, so that as the said keeper is rotated tolocking position it will engage with both said projections at the sametime. By giving the keeper K sufficient spring and strength it pressesthe cover C so closely u on the ends of spindles 4 that they are suciently tight to keep the map stretched over the rolls and upon thespools R and R. I

Now, having the said device as a whole constructed and arranged to beused and operated substantially as thus shown and described, I havefound that the most contouring car is directly over the steering wheelW. This brings the hand and the eye operatively together and leaves thedriver free for the necessary outlook wlllle he is also in the mostadvantageous position to read the map and move it along to keep up withthe route. Hence I have shown the device as mounted over the said wheelW, and upon the usual annulus or part H next above said wheel. Saidannulus usually is fixed on the extremity of stationary rod J by somesuitable means indicated in this instance by 14 or such as a given carmay carry, and the steering Wheel is rotatably sleeved upon this rod andhas'its operating connection thence as usual. I

Now, assuming that the device is to be supported from or upon annulusII, it should be understood that said annulus, so-called, varies in sizein difierent makes of touring cars, and hence in order that it may beused with equal facility on all such cars and sustain the same relativeposition on all, as well as to lift the device high enough above thesteering wheel to permit other appliances to be placed on the samegeneral support, I provide each end of the body B with adjust-- ablelegs or supports consisting each of two parts, 15 and 16 respectively.The part 15 is a rigid standard having a substantially right angledlower end bolted firmly to annulus H, and the part 16 has hinged orointed connection at 17 with said standard and is curved in its upperportion to conform to the bottom of depression 2 and slotted lengthwiseand secured to said depression by a bolt through said slot. With thisconstruction of said parts I can fix the device rigidly and relativelythe same way upon various sizes of annuli and have the legs sustain theright supporting position in each case.

It may be specifically noted that the respective slots 5 and 6, in thebody and cover are not only coincident as to location but are of suchdepth that the spindles therein are frictionally engaged in the ends ofsaid slots when cover C is clamped down on body B.

Any suitable rods or the like can be substituted for the rollers D ifthey serve to sustain and stretch or straighten the map over the samewhether they roll or are stationary.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A tourists map carrier for automobiles and likevehicles, comprising a body having trough shaped ends transversely withslots centrally therein open to the top of said body, and spools withspindles in said slots, in combination with a cover over said bodyprovided with projections at its sides extending down over the upperportions of said slots and slotted at their extremities to engage overthe ends of said spindles, said cover having downward projections centrally at its sides having horizontal open slots on a plane beneath saidbody and a locking device on the said body adapted to engage in saidslots.

2. A casing for touring maps, in combination with standards therefor atits ends adjustable at their top on the bottom of said casing, asteering wheel supporting rod and an annulus fixed thereon againstrotation and said standards fixed on said annulus.

3. A tourists map carrier comprising a casing to carry a map having endsrounded at their bottom, a fixed support and standards for said casingfixed at their lower ends on said support and consisting in curvedslotted top portions adjustably secured to the rounded portions of thebottom of said body and rigid lower portions hinged to said upperportions of the standards, whereby the casing is adapted to be fixed tosupports of different sizes.

4:. A casing adapted to carry a tourists map on automobiles and the likeand means to support the same comprising a fixed rod, a steering wheelrotatably mounted on said rod, an annulus rigidly fixed to the end ofsaid rod above said Wheel and relatively of smaller size than the wheelto leave room for the hands on the wheel, and standards supporting saidcasing from said annulus in a rearwardly inclined position, saidstandards having said casing adjustably fixed thereon.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

HARRY DALITZ.

